The present invention relates to mini-support belts for garments and to garments which incorporate such belts as integral portions thereof.
Support belts for garments have been known heretofore, such belts serving to support the garment upon the wearer in a manner that provides for a smooth fall of the garment about the wearer and accomodation of the wearer's various body movements. Prior belt constructions generally consisted of a band or bands of sufficient length to encompass the waist of the wearer. However, such prior belt constructions were neither intended for nor were capable of providing therapeutic support. Further, although surgical belts have been employed to afford relief where an individual suffered from a hernia condition, it was not previously recognized that a person's stature might be improved through proper control of one's hip. It has been found, for example, that pressure upon the hips can be relieved so that they may adopt a more normal disposition through the constraint of a simple belt device. It has also been found that pressure upon one's diaphragm, perhaps by the removal of tension from the transversus abdominis muscle, may be attenuated through such hip control thereby enabling one to more efficiently utilize the diaphragm and associated breathing apparatus.